


Minami Week June 2017

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Tagged Per Chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-13 04:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11176575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: Collection of fics written for Minami Week.Day One (12th) - Friendships // RivalsDay Two (13th) - CrushesDay Three (14th) - Growing Up // FutureDay Four (15th) - AU // MagicDay Five (16th) - Student & CoachDay Six (17th) - MusicDay Seven (18th) - Chicken NuggetDay Eight (19th) - Free Day





	1. Day 1 - Friendships/Rivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are some people you shouldn't make fun of Katsuki Yuuri in front of.
> 
> Tags: Bullying? Maybe?

Minami was the best junior skater in Japan. His idol was the best senior skater in Japan. Minami wanted to be just like Katsuki someday. When he got the invitation to go to Senior Nationals, Minami was over the moon. He could meet his hero! Skate in the same competition, although probably not in the same group! Maybe he could even get a selfie with Japan’s Ace. He’d die.

Then Katsuki melted down at the Grand Prix Finals. Minami was sure there’d be a report that he was injured and had to withdraw, but it never came, which was scary in its own way. He never saw Katsuki at practices or around the hotel. He looked terrible when he came out for the short program, both in terms of his general appearance and in terms of his skating. For Japan’s Ace to be eighth… that was bad. It got worse in the free skate. Minami did the best he’d ever done. Katsuki flopped even harder. Minami made the podium, while Katsuki got eleventh. Katsuki disappeared, even refusing the invitation to skate in the exhibition despite his poor performance. Minami’s coach said he’d wanted to get home to finish his schoolwork, but Minami wasn’t so sure.

Minami got to go to Junior Worlds that year, which was incredible. Of course, Yuri Plisetsky was going to win, he was the best. He was also one of the rudest, angriest boys Minami had ever met. Minami hoped to medal. He was going to seniors next year and probably wouldn’t medal there, but maybe he could, here.

As he was changing after practice, he heard two boys approaching him. “Hey, Kenji.” Minami didn’t turn around. He really did not like Declan Mason. The nickname was one of many reasons. His friend, American Trevor Mayfield, wasn’t much better. Declan hit Minami’s shoulder. “Kenji! I’m talking to you!”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Aw, come on, it’s short and easy to say. I just wanted to ask you if you were so in love with that Katsuki guy that you were going to screw up easy stuff, too.”

Minami felt the tears starting to come. “Katsuki doesn’t screw up easy stuff! His programs are way harder than yours or mine!”

“He fell on a triple toe loop. Who does that?”

“Hey. Asshole.”

Minami did turn around then. Why was Yuri Plisetsky getting involved in this? Declan put a hand on Yuri’s shoulder. “Yulia! You watched Katsuki at the Grand Prix Finals, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. I don’t know what his problem is, but Katsuki’s left toe is a better skater than you.” Yuri smacked Declan’s hand off of him. “Now leave me and the chicken nugget there alone.”

“The… did you just call Kenji a chicken nugget?”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t listening either. I was too busy trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong with Canadians. That JJ asshole you’ve got representing you in Seniors… now _that_ is one overrated skater.”

Declan and Trevor decided to get out of there, leaving Minami staring at Yuri. He didn’t even know where to start. “Thanks. They’re jerks, but…”

“They needed to shut up about Katsuki.”

“You’re a fan?”

“I wish he’d get his shit together. He could take down Nikiforov if he’d just do that.” Yuri picked up his bag from where he’d dropped it and pulled out his Russia jacket.

“Wow. I’ve never met anyone else who thought that Katsuki was better than Viktor Nikiforov. Not at everything! Viktor’s a way better jumper.”

“I first heard of Katsuki after Worlds last year, when Viktor asked our coach why he wasn’t at last year’s Finals. He actually got a little mad when Yakov said he wasn’t good enough to get there. Viktor thinks Katsuki’s a better dancer than he is, and he’s right.” Yuri slung his bag over his shoulder. “What’s your name, anyway? So I don’t have to keep calling you chicken nugget?”

“Minami Kenjirou. Chicken nugget’s fine, though.”

“Good luck. Hope to see you on the podium at the end of this.”


	2. Day 2 - Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phichit Chulanont is well-known as the most sociable skater in the senior circuit. Why can't Minami talk to him?

It was that stupid article’s fault. Minami had been thrilled to hear he’d been chosen as one of the three most adorable athletes in Asia, and even happier to hear that his friend Guang Hong had been chosen as well. And then there was Phichit.

Until the article came out, Minami was lowkey jealous of the guy. He was Katsuki’s best friend! They’d lived together for years! Minami was a follower of every social media he could find from Phichit. It seemed like the best way to get updates on Yuuri, since Yuuri didn’t do anything with social media himself.

The article changed that. Phichit was adorable. Minami started paying a lot closer attention to the rest of his social media, not just the tags that meant Yuuri was involved, and the more he saw the more he wanted to see. He had hamsters! He loved The King and the Skater! Minami had never seen it before, but when he read that, he got online and watched every single one of the series. His skating wasn’t as good as Yuuri’s, but he was great, and Minami rewatched every YouTube video he could find hundreds of times.

Meeting Yuuri at the regional qualifier changed a lot of things for Minami. Suddenly, Yuuri’s family and friends in Hasetsu had adopted him as one of their own. He was still not prepared for the call he got in April. Yuuri was inviting him to the second Onsen on Ice show – not a competition, just a bunch of skaters getting together to have some fun and show off. It was going to be the skating event of the year, and Yuuri wanted Minami to be part of it.

Minami was one of the skaters who came early to help get everything ready. Yuuri and Viktor of course. They brought Yuri Plisetsky who brought Otabek Altin. Both were perfectly content to leave Minami alone, and he was fine with that. He didn’t know much about Otabek, but Yuri Plisetsky had always scared him. Phichit was the other one who came out early.

With Yuuri, Minami had been able to talk. He’d been able to tell Yuuri just what Yuuri meant to him. With Phichit… there was nothing. He couldn’t think of a thing to say, and became a blushing, stuttering mess any time Phichit tried to talk to him. Phichit kept trying, but Minami… every night, he swore to himself that the next day he’d find something to say to Phichit. If he could just get one or two sentences out, he should settle down and be able to talk like a normal person, right? So he came up with things to say, and he practiced, and the next day came and Phichit said hi and Minami’s brain froze right up.

One night, as he was going to bed, he heard Phichit say his name. “Yuuri, what’s with Minami? Did I do something to him?”

“Not that I know of. Why, did you finally meet someone the Chulanont Charm doesn’t immediately make your new second-best friend?”

“He won’t talk to me, Yuuri! I thought maybe he was just shy, but I’d have thought he’d get over it by now if it’s just shyness. He talks to Yuri and Otabek, am I really scarier than them?” Yuuri started laughing, but Minami’s heart sank. He was making Phichit feel bad. He made up his mind that tomorrow, for sure, he would start acting like a normal person. “Well, I’m glad you find this so funny, Yuuri,” Phichit said. “Got anything useful?”

“I am being exactly as useful as you were the day Viktor showed up here. _Exactly_ as useful.”

“Hey! It is _not my fault_ you didn’t believe me when I said that something must have happened at the banquet to make Viktor fall in love with you! I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah, you were, but that wasn’t helpful. But fine, fine, I’ll give you some actual help. Yes. You are scarier than Yuri and Otabek, because Minami’s got a big fat crush on you.”

“He… really?”

“Would I lie to you?”

“Wow.”

Minami left. He did not know what to do with Yuuri’s conclusion – which he recognized as truth. He’d had a crush on Yuuri forever, but Yuuri was always way out of reach. Phichit…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued!


	3. Day 4 - AU / Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minami waits to hear his post-graduation assignment from the Magic Academy.
> 
> Tags: magic AU

Is there a word for when you’re so excited and nervous and happy and terrified and eager all at once that you think you’re about to explode? If there was, that was the best way to describe Minami as he sat in the holding room. He’d graduated top of his class from the Academy, put in his application for an apprenticeship, and was waiting to see which, if any, of the mages currently seeking an apprentice had chosen him.

He was hoping for Katsuki Yuuri. Not only was he attached to one of the most powerful courts, and therefore in a very comfortable and prestigious job, and therefore would pass some of that prestige on to his apprentice just for being his apprentice… Yuuri was his personal hero. His inspiration for studying magic. The reason he’d worked so hard at this, instead of going into medicine like his parents had expected and his older brother had done.

There were three other students, all who had been top students, and all waiting to hear. They never gave official numbers, but Minami had heard that there were six wizards interested in taking a new apprentice this year, so it was odd that only four of them had been called in. That meant that at least two of them hadn’t found any of the candidates suitable, or their choices had been claimed by someone else. It was also possible that they were being assigned to other opportunities rather than taking an apprenticeship.

Two of the students were called out. Phichit went to Celestino Cialdini, which seemed like an excellent fit to Minami. They were both heavily interested in communication magic, and Phichit had revolutionized the school’s communication network with some of his inventions. Ji Guang Hong went to Cao Bin, a reclusive wizard who already had one apprentice, Leo de la Iglesia. That left Otabek Altin and Minami.

Yuuri was the next one to arrive. “Hello, boys. I realize that this is highly unusual, but both of you are coming with me as my apprentices.”

Highly unusual? More like unheard of. It’s not that having multiple apprentices was all that unusual, particularly for a powerful and wealthy court like Russia, but taking two from the same class? He’d never heard of that happening to anyone. Not that Minami was complaining! He was happy to go with Otabek, if that’s how he got to go with Yuuri too. He hopped to his feet and bowed. “Thank you for this opportunity, Master!”

Otabek bowed as well, but didn’t say anything as he collected his belongings and followed Yuuri to a carriage. That wasn’t entirely surprising; Otabek was known as the quiet type. Once they were in the carriage, Yuuri cleared his throat. “Please allow me to explain. Minami, your apprenticeship will be standard. You’ll be working with me, assisting me with my projects and research, gradually trusted to do more as you progress.”

“Thank you!” Minami nearly bounced out of his chair. “I’ll work hard to prove that I’m worthy of your teaching!”

“I expect nothing less.” Yuuri smiled at Minami and then turned to Otabek. “Yours is going to be highly unusual, and must be kept as secret as possible. Prince Yuri is gifted, and must be trained, but as a prince he can’t be sent to the Academy. Officially, and as far as the Academy is concerned, you are my apprentice. Unofficially, the king would like you to teach Yuri to control his gifts and help him advance.”

Otabek’s eyes opened wide, and Minami thought he saw a trace of fear in there. “Why must it be kept secret?”

“King Yakov and Prince Viktor both agree that having a prince who can use magic would be a huge benefit in our… feud… with Canada. It becomes much more beneficial if that weapon is a secret weapon.”

“Why me?”

“Prince Yuri is rather…” Yuuri searched for the word. “Volatile. He can be a royal pain.” Otabek chuckled at the pun. “Viktor and I thought that your temperament was well-suited to deal with him, and from what testing I’ve done, you and he seem to match up well – it’s not perfect, I think you’ll find his approach very different from yours, but the results are the same. Also, we thought you would be able to keep the secret.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“As a sort of special payment for having to deal with Prince Yuri, you’ll be given full access to the music room, and time to enjoy it.”

Otabek nodded. “Is the Prince really that bad?”

“It’s been very difficult keeping a proper tutor for him. I don’t know how you’ll do, but Viktor and I will do everything we can to help you.”

“Me too!” Minami said. “I don’t know what I can do, but if you think of something, I’ll do it!”

“Alright, then. I look forward to the challenge.”


	4. Day 5 - Student/Coach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coaching change for Minami brings new rinkmates with it.
> 
> Tags: future, Yuuri and Viktor become coaches, sort of Otayuri (no one knows whether they're together or not, probably not even them)

When Yakov and Viktor retired in the same year, it was only natural for Viktor to take over as Yuri Plisetsky’s coach. He was already coaching Katsuki Yuuri, Yuri knew him, they could keep using the same rink, nobody had to move, Yakov was there to help out if Viktor needed it but he didn’t have to keep up with full-time coaching demands anymore. Everyone was happy.

Two years later, when Yuuri announced his retirement, Minami kept hearing rumors that he and Viktor planned to move to Japan. To Hasetsu. Minami didn’t believe it – would Yuri agree to it? Would he change coaches?

At Worlds, as soon as the free skate was over, Minami’s coach pulled him aside. “I know this is sudden, but my husband was just diagnosed with cancer, and I want to quit coaching to take care of him. I’ve already talked to someone about possibly coaching you and they’re more than willing, if you are.”

“I’m sorry about your husband. Who’s my new coach?”

“Again, this is only if you want to, he’s never coached before but he’ll be working with a more experienced coach. Katsuki Yuuri plans to coach with his husband. Viktor will have primary responsibility for Yuri Plisetsky, Yuuri for you.”

“Yuuri is willing to coach me?” Minami pinched himself. This was something he'd dreamed of since he was a kid!

“He was quite happy with the prospect. You’ll have to move to Hasetsu, will that be a problem?”

“Hasetsu? Not St. Petersburg? I can do Hasetsu easily!” He'd visited a lot to watch Yuuri in competitions that he wasn't in himself.

His coach shrugged. “Apparently Viktor wanted to go to Hasetsu and neither Yuri objected.”

 

Minami wasn’t the only student joining Viktor and the Yuris in Hasetsu. Minami had never believed the rumors about Otabek Altin and Yuri Plisetsky, but he couldn’t come up with any other reason why Otabek would leave Kazakhstan to train in a small town in Japan with two former rivals as coaches and two current rivals as rinkmates – and it didn’t help that the two of them were living together. Whatever Otabek and Yuri were to each other, on the ice, they were both completely dedicated and focused. The worst that happened was Yuri whining to Otabek when Viktor got too sarcastic or Viktor and Yuuri got too distracting.

Then there was Mila. She’d surprised everyone by joining them in Japan, even Viktor and Yuuri, not that Viktor hadn’t made it clear she was invited. One day, while they were hanging out on the beach, Minami found the courage to ask. “Why did you come? I get Yuri, Viktor and Yuuri are pretty much his family and Otabek’s his only real friend and he’s here too, but why did you come?”

“Well, for one thing, Yuri and Viktor and Yuuri are like my family, too. Viktor’s been coaching me for the past two years, too, you know.”

“Don’t you have family back in Russia?”

Mila shrugged. “Not that I’d miss more here than I did in St. Petersburg. They’re in Yekaterinburg and I see them a couple times in the summer and when they can come to my competitions.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It's okay. It's not uncommon for Russian skaters." Mila smiled. "Don’t tell him I said this, but Yuri’s probably the person I’m closest to, and same for him except Otabek.”

“Are you and Otabek close at all? I remember hearing some rumors a few years ago…”

“Not really, not like I am with Yuri. There was nothing to those rumors other than his skating going from good but unmemorable to amazing and impossible not to watch with no warning. Don’t ask me about the rumors about Yuri and Otabek, I don’t know and every time I ask they tell me to mind my own business.”

“Oh." Disappointing, since he'd never find the courage to ask either of them himself, or their coaches. If Viktor or Yuuri even knew.

“If you want my guess, as their friend and Yuri’s rinkmate?” Mila leaned forward with a smirk. “I think they don’t know what the hell they are either." That... actually made sense to Minami. It ws reassuring, too. How was he supposed to figure out what was going on there if they couldn't? Mila looked at him speculatively. "What about you? Girlfriend or boyfriend back home?”

“N-no. I was too busy with my skating to try to date, and it doesn’t help that I only started looking like someone old enough to be dating a few months ago.”

“Welcome to adulthood!” Mila threw an arm around him. “I’m glad you’re here. I love these guys, but without you, I’d probably end up feeling like a third wheel a little too often.”

“Same. I mean, I’m glad you’re here. I – I mean – you’re fun and it’s nice to have someone I’m not scared of and I think I need to go home and walk my dog but it was nice talking to you!” Minami ran away, mad at himself the whole time for being such a wimp. He’d never had trouble talking to Mila before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame Yuutousei for putting the idea in my head.


	5. Day 6 - Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation from Chapter 4
> 
> Pairing: Minami/Mila, Minami/Awkward
> 
> Minami feels like an idiot for how he ran away from Mila. Yuuri helps talk him through it, and then he and Mila talk again.

“I have to walk my dog.” Minami didn’t even HAVE a dog. Sure, he’d sometimes take Viktor and Yuuri’s poodles for walks, but Eros and Agape weren’t his dogs. Mila had to have seen right through that excuse and recognized it for what it was, Minami not knowing what to do when a pretty girl flirted with him.

Minami had never dealt with crushes well. Katsuki aside, because that was different, that was a hero he admired. A couple people from school, an old rinkmate… it always ended up with him making an idiot of himself. Well, at least he’d already done that in this case. He really couldn’t make things worse than telling Mila he was had to go walk a non-existent dog.

He was supposed to be finding music for his programs, and with his headphones on and the help of YouTube, he was able to shut everything out and think about skating. Right now, he had no idea what he wanted to skate. Twenty-one was way too old to skate to the theme of “I am an idiot who can’t talk to people I like.” That was the general theme of the songs he found himself listening to, though. Maybe he could just be lazy and pick a movie he liked and skate to music from that. A lot of skaters did that.

Minami got lost in his music and didn’t realize how much time had passed until there was a knock at his door. “Kenjirou?” Yuuri.

Minami paused the music. “Come on in.”

“Is everything okay? You missed dinner.”

Minami glanced at the clock on his computer. Wow. “Sorry! I was trying to find something to skate to next season.”

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty left. Mila ended up eating with Yurio and Otabek.” Of course she had. She would want to avoid Minami as much as she could when they trained together. Yuuri noticed Minami’s reaction. “Did something happen with Mila?”

“Not exactly? I’m an idiot, that’s all.”

Yuuri put on a stern expression. “I don’t allow anyone to insult my skaters. Stop it.”

Minami chuckled weakly. “We were on the beach, and you know how flirty she can get sometimes, and she got like that, and I got flustered and said I had to go walk my dog.”

Yuuri sat on the bed. “Why’d you get flustered? She’s never affected you before, has she?”

“No, but she did this time. I don’t know. I don’t know why I have to have a stupid crush on her now when I didn’t before!”

“Do you want to date her?”

“Yes, but… I don’t know… dating a rinkmate…” Minami suddenly remembered who he was talking to and buried his face in a blanket.

Yuuri patted his shoulder. “You want a bad idea, try dating your coach. Sometimes stupid ideas work.”

 

At practice the next morning, Mila came up to Minami. “Hey, um, I’m sorry about yesterday. If I made you uncomfortable.”

Minami paused in tying his laces. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I did, though." Minami looked up in surprise, and Mila sat beside him. "I like you, Kenjirou. If you don’t like me back or you think dating a rinkmate is a bad idea despite the rest of our rink, that’s fine, I’ll back off, but Otabek thought your reaction yesterday was you being interested and not knowing what to do about it.”

“Otabek’s smart. I… I do like you. My old coach was really harsh on rinkmates dating, but… Yuuri just laughed at me for being worried.” Minami smiled at Mila.

“It’s not unreasonable. Things worked out well for him and Viktor, whatever the hell Otabek and Yuri are, their relationship has been going strong for years, but the awkwardness if we break up… my relationships haven’t lasted longer than six months yet.”

“Okay." Minami did some quick mental math. "Just don’t break up with me right before Four Continents? Wait till after the Free Skate.”

Mila's face lit up. "Deal!"


	6. Day 7 - Chicken Nugget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation from Chapter 2.
> 
> Phichit gets Minami to talk to him.

Minami was never leaving his room again. He’d made Phichit feel bad, and now Phichit knew that Minami had a crush on him. Phichit would never even try to speak to him, Yuuri knew that Minami was a hopeless idiot and laughed at him, he didn’t even want to skate in the exhibition anymore if it meant embarrassing himself even further.

He hid until hunger made him brave enough to risk a trip to the kitchen. Everyone should be at the Ice Castle anyway, except for the non-skating Katsukis, and he was comfortable with them. Still, he walked as quietly as he could through the halls. Hiroko was in the kitchen, and she smiled and offered to make him whatever he wanted to eat. 

He took it out to the main room to eat it. That was a mistake. Phichit was in there, on his phone. Minami started to turn back, but Phichit saw him. “Hey! Come on over. I was wondering when we’d see you!”

Minami froze. Go to Phichit, or run away? Phichit gave him an encouraging smile. Minami started over. If he ran away now, he may as well get on a train to Fukuoka, and quit skating and go to medical school like his brother, because he’d never be able to look Phichit or Yuuri in the eye again. “Hi.”

Phichit went back to his phone. “Guang Hong told me the funniest story yesterday about a competition in Colorado. You won, he took silver, and since you won he had to take you out to lunch.”

“Our last season in the Junior Grand Prix.” Minami remembered this, all right. He was going to kill Guang Hong.

“You chose McDonald’s because you wanted to try chicken nuggets, and you loved them. The girl at the counter thought you were so adorable in your excitement that she started calling you a chicken nugget.”

“And then someone told Yuri Plisetsky about it, and everyone in juniors started calling me that.” Why was Phichit telling him about this? He’d thought moving to seniors would get him away from that stupid nickname.

“I’m glad Yuri Plisetsky was nowhere near Detroit when I first moved there. Yuuri decided that I needed to be initiated into the ways of American fast food, so he took me to Taco Bell. He regretted that quickly because I developed an addiction. Hamsterhead I didn’t mind, but Yuri would probably have started calling me Taco.”

“I’ve never been to a Taco Bell…”

“Don’t go. You’ll get hooked. I don’t know if there even are any in Japan. There aren’t in Thailand.”

“There’s one in Tokyo, I’m pretty sure, but that’s a long way to go just for some food.”

“There you go then. I’m safe. Celestino eventually banned me from going to Taco Bell unless I either made an A or B in a class or won a medal. My grades were a lot better after that semester.” Phichit set his phone down. “Tell you what, though, if we’re ever in Skate America or Worlds or Four Continents together somewhere that has one, I’ll take you to one. No chicken nuggets, but tacos!”

“Won’t you get in trouble with Celestino?”

“I haven’t had a chance to cash in my Cup of China win yet, I’ll hold on to it. Just in case.” Phichit winked. “See? Not so scary. And you’re even cuter when you talk!”

“Wha…?”

“Yuuri thinks you have a crush on me. Is he right?”

“Yes.” No point in lying, was there?

“You’re cute, Yuuri likes you, Guang Hong and Yurio both said good things about you when I asked.” Phichit paused. “Well… filtered through the Yurio-to-human translator, anyway. The point is, I’m in if you want to give it a shot.”


End file.
